• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.433-457
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• 2011

This study attempts to make a constructive contribution to the debate on which WTO rules accommodate trade measures for environmental purposes. Does trade undermine the regulatory efforts of governments. However, the theoretical dimensions are partly addressed on the several key questions. For instances, is economic integration through trade and investment a threat to the environment? to control pollution and resource degradation? Will economic grow driven by trade help us to move towards a sustainable use of the world's environmental resources? The growing world economy has been accompanied by environmental degradation including deforestation, losses in bio-diversity, global warming, air pollution, depletion of the ozone layer, overfishing and so on. The sheer number of us obviously put pressure on natural resources and ecological systems, and this pressure will counting to rise as we grow towards 10 billion in the next century. What is more, there is no indication that consumption per capita is slowing. The perceived costs of acting alone in terms of lost investments and jobs often take the stream out of regulatory initiatives. In the worst case scenario environmental community is fearful that international trade will magnify the effects of poor environmental polices in the world Generally, economic growth drive by trade may speed up the process of environmental degradation unless sufficient environmental safeguards are put in place. Under these circumstances, this paper attempts to make a constructive contribution to the study on which WTO rules accommodate trade measures for environmental purposes.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.555-564
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• 2016

This paper proposes a time slot allocation scheme for military patrol environments. This proposal comes from analysis of traffic properties in a military patrol environment. In the near future, robots are expected to explore enemy grounds and measure threat, taking the place of human patrol. In order to control such robots, control messages must be extremely accurate. One mistake from the control center could cause a tragedy. Thus, high reliability must be guaranteed. Another goal is to maintain a continual flow of multimedia data sent from patrol robots. That is, QoS (Quality of Service) must be guaranteed. In order to transmit data while fulfilling both attributes, the per-path based centralized TDMA slot allocation scheme is recommended. The control center allocates slots to robots allowing synchronization among robots. Slot allocation collisions can also be avoided. The proposed scheme was verified through the ns-3 simulator. The scheme showed a higher packet delivery ratio than the algorithm in comparison. It also performed with shorter delay time in the downlink traffic transmission scenario than the algorithm in comparison.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.185-205
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• 2010

Climate change vulnerability assessment based on local conditions is a prerequisite for establishment of climate change adaptation policies. While some studies have developed a methodology for vulnerability assessment at the national level using statistical data, few attempts, whether domestic or overseas, have been made to develop methods for local vulnerability assessments that are easily applicable to a single city. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to develop a conceptual framework for climate change vulnerability, and then develop a general methodology for assessment at the regional level applied to a single coastal city, Mokpo, in Jeolla province, Korea. We followed the conceptual framework of climate change vulnerability proposed by the IPCC (1996) which consists of "climate exposure," "systemic sensitivity," and "systemic adaptive capacity." "Climate exposure" was designated as sea level rises of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 meter(s), allowing for a simple scenario for sea level rises. Should more complex forecasts of sea level rises be required later, the methodology developed herein can be easily scaled and transferred to other projects. Mokpo was chosen as a seaside city on the southwest coast of Korea, where all cities have experienced rising sea levels. Mokpo has experienced the largest sea level increases of all, and is a region where abnormal high tide events have become a significant threat; especially subsequent to the construction of an estuary dam and breakwaters. Sensitivity to sea level rises was measured by the percentage of flooded area for each administrative region within Mokpo evaluated via simulations using GIS techniques. Population density, particularly that of senior citizens, was also factored in. Adaptive capacity was considered from both the "hardware" and "software" aspects. "Hardware" adaptive capacity was incorporated by considering the presence (or lack thereof) of breakwaters and seawalls, as well as their height. "Software" adaptive capacity was measured using a survey method. The survey questionnaire included economic status, awareness of climate change impact and adaptation, governance, and policy, and was distributed to 75 governmental officials working for Mokpo. Vulnerability to sea level rises was assessed by subtracting adaptive capacity from the sensitivity index. Application of the methodology to Mokpo indicated vulnerability was high for seven out of 20 administrative districts. The results of our methodology provides significant policy implications for the development of climate change adaptation policy as follows: 1) regions with high priority for climate change adaptation measures can be selected through a correlation diagram between vulnerabilities and records of previous flood damage, and 2) after review of existing short, mid, and long-term plans or projects in high priority areas, appropriate adaptation measures can be taken as per this study. Future studies should focus on expanding analysis of climate change exposure from sea level rises to other adverse climate related events, including heat waves, torrential rain, and drought etc.

• Journal of Appropriate Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.127-135
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• 2021

To respond to the threat of global warming, countries around the world are promoting the spread of renewable energy and reduction of carbon emissions. In accordance with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal to combat climate change and its impacts, global automakers are pushing for a full transition to electric vehicles within the next 10 years. Electric vehicles can be a useful means for reducing carbon emissions, but in order to reduce carbon generated in the stage of producing electricity for charging, a power generation system using eco-friendly renewable energy is required. In this study, we propose a smart electric mobility operating system integrated with off-grid solar power plants established in Tanzania, Africa. By applying smart monitoring and communication functions based on Arduino-based computing devices, information such as remaining battery capacity, battery status, location, speed, altitude, and road conditions of an electric vehicle or electric motorcycle is monitored. In addition, we present a scenario that communicates with the surrounding independent solar power plant infrastructure to predict the drivable distance and optimize the charging schedule and route to the destination. The feasibility of the proposed system was verified through test runs of electric motorcycles. In considering local environmental characteristics in Tanzania for the operation of the electric mobility system, factors such as eco-friendliness, economic feasibility, ease of operation, and compatibility should be weighed. The smart electric mobility operating system proposed in this study can be an important basis for implementing the SDGs' climate change response.